Vehicle running-gear.



M. W. EEYENGA. man: nimma ems.,- Arulorml nrw nso. s. m1.

A Panama sept. 22,1905.

2 anun-sm! 1.

nil :will: "uns cg 'muuu-.gg :Y L

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

inin'rixlw. IIEYENQI, or CHICAGO, ILLIIvOIs, xssIGNoR'or OxIarOURTII 'ro MARTIN- BARKMEIER xxl) Oxa-FOURTH To HEI BARIoIEIER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE RUNNING-GEAR.

l spcification or Letters Patent. Applition'led December 3, 1907. I Serial )10.404,894.

To all wzoni it may concern:

Be it known that I, )lf-.wrm W. IIEY'ENGA,

' citizen of the United States, residing at Itiverdale., Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oflllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' III chicle Running- `(Jrears, ofwluch the following is a speciieation.

'This invention coniprehends certain new and useful improvements in vehicle running gear, and the primary object of the invention an improved construction of I'ifth-wheel, so arranged that it may be readily and securely attached to axles of different sizes and to vehicles embodying springs of either the end orthe side variety, the running gear embodying the invention in the present instance vbeing of that type in which the parts are so arranged that the rear Vaxle will turn upon the turning of the front axle, thus enabing the vehicle to be turned about in a restri( ted space.

lith these and other objects In view as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the Invention conslsts III certain constructions and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and then f Fig. 4 is a sectional' view on the line 'y-g/ of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar view on the'line 2 2 of Fig. 2; and, Fig. 6 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of one member of the lifth wheel hereinafter specifically rcferred to.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the lfollowing description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the front axle ofa vehicle, Qthe rear axle thereof, and 3 and 4 the two obliquelj.Y extending reaches arranged to eff feet -the turningof the rear axle upon the turning of the front ,axle to effect a short turn. The reach 3 extends over the reach 4 ard is provided with an upwardly bowed, but

Patented sept. 22, 190s.

l longitudinally straight intermediate lportion vE 5, and the end reach 4 is correspondingly provided with a downwardly bowed intermediate portion 6. Both reaches are formed with outwardly dellected ends, as indicated at 7 so that the. main portions of the, reaches will be positioned near the middle of the ve' hicle body, so as to be inconspicuous and so located as to in no wise interfere with the steps of the. vehicle body. 1t is to be understoodtlat both of these. reaches are. preferably rigid throughout their length, so as toprevent any severing or twist-ing movement of the rear axle when the vehicle'is being drawn along a straight stretch of road. The ends 7 of the respective reaches 3 and 4 arereceived Ain the forked brackets S of reach coupling irons 9 extending underneath the respective axles. Each coupling iron 9 is formed at its ends with slots 10, and clips 11 embrace the axles lwith their ends extending through said slots and secured therein by nuts, as shown. The bolts S which pivotally connect the ends of the reaches with the coupling irons 9 Obviously may be countersunk in said brackets, or otherwise.

. My im roved Construction of fifth wheel` 12 embo ies an annular plate 13 constituting the relatively movable member of the fifth wheel, said plate being formed at substantially diametrically opposite point-s with downwardly ext-ending standards 14, relatively wide, as clearly illustrated in the drawing. Each of these standards 14 is formed with a segmental vertically opening. slot 15 and clip bolts 16 are secured in the respective slots and extend downwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the front axles, glands 17 being secured to the respective pairs of Clip bolts by nuts, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. By the provision of the segmental slots 15, it is obvious that the clip bolts 16 may be adjusted towards or away from each other, so as to render the fifth wheel susceptible of attachment to axles of different widths. Preferably each standard 14 is formed at its upper end with a. recess 1S in registry with its slot 15, so as to yprovide a countersink for the heads of the bolts.

The relatively stationary element of the fifth wheel comprises two semicircular channeled rims 19 arranged with their'ends in substantial abutment and embracing the outer edge of the annular plate 13, whereby to form a channeled guide-way for said late.

g The rims 19 are formed at correspon ingly opposite' points, respectively, with arms LU. and the said arms project inwardly in dianietrical relation to the completed circle formed by t-he two rims and "overlapping each other as shown. Clins 21 embrace '.he two overlapping arms 20, and in addition to said clips, a bolt 22.1nay pass through said arms. between the clips, to secure the'two arms t0- gether'.5 23 designates a spring supporting cross balyillustrated in Fig. 4, the ends of .said cross bar projecting laterally beyond the fifth wheel and arranged to support the ends of bowed supporting springs' of the side bow variety.' This bar is not'intended for use with end springs, but is dispensed with in such event and the said end spring', a p or'- tion ci' which is illustrated in Fig.'1,-desig 4nated 24, is embraced by the clips 21,as'w'ell assecured to the arms .20 by meansof ,theT

ings, that the reaches may be very readily clipped'to the front and rear axles, and that the fifth wheel elements may be as easily secured to the fronta-xle ant.` vehicle body or springt,l thereof', the standards of the annular plate 'i3 on the fifth wheel and their segmental slots adapting thefifth Wheel construe. tion to axles of different widths. The semicircular channeled rim 19 may be easily applied to the outer edge of t-he annular plate 13 and secured in operative relation thereto by means of the tivo overlapping arms 20 with their clips 21- and bolt 22 and an end spring of the vehicle body may be easily secured to the said arms 2() by the bolt 22 passing therethrough andthe clips 21, while, if it is desired to apply the invention to a ve# v hicle employing springs of the side-bow type,-

the supporting cross bar 23 may be easily secured in place, as above described. Obviously upon the turning of the front axle in either direction, the rear axle will turn com mensurately in the oppo'iite direction, so'as.

to enable the vehicle to be turned about in a circumscribed area.

Preferably the inner edges of the forked brackets S are slightly rounded 0H', as indicated in Fig. 3, for the purpose of giving the reaches some free play vertically, so that when a frontl wheel runs over a rock or other obstruction, or enters 'a rut or depression, the

reaches will have no jarring eiect on the brackets. 1

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: i

1. In a vehicle, a fifth wheel comprising a relatively movable` element formed with downwardly extending standards, means for securing said standards to a vehicle axle, a

relatively stationary 'element consisting of f semicircular channeled rims embracing the outer edge of the relatively movable element,

.said rims heilig formed with inwardly extending overlapped arms, and means for securing said arms together and to therbody of a vehicle.

2. In a vehicle, a fifth wheel comprising a relatively movableelement, a relatively stationary element having a guiding connectionwith the movable element, and provided at opposite points with inwardly extending 'overlapping arms, the ilowermost arm being formed on its lower side with nibs, andclipsdesigned to secure said arms together and provided with glands adapted to abut against said nibs.

3. In a vehicle, a fifth wheel com rising a relatively stationary element, an a relatively movable elernent having a guiding connection therewith, the stationary element being formed at opposite points with inv wardly extending overlapping arms', clips designed to secure said arms together, and a cross bar extending beyond said arms and secured thereto, said cross bar being designed for the support of vside-bow springs.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses MARTIN W. HEYENGA. [1.. s.] vWitnesses: OscAR R. HILLs'rRoM, EDWARD BOUMA. 

